Chiropractic is the Science, Art and Philosophy that concerns itself with the restoration of good health by restoring and maintaining a properly functioning nervous system, without the use of drugs or surgery. Chiropractic is based on the scientific fact that your body is a self-regulating, self-healing organism. These important functions are controlled by the brain, spinal cord, and all the nerves of the body. The skull protects the delicate tissues of the brain. The moving bones of the spine protect the vulnerable communication pathways of the spinal cord and nerve roots. If the nervous system is impaired, it can cause malfunction of the tissues and organs throughout the body. Doctors of Chiropractic call this the Vertebral Subluxation Complex. The Chiropractic adjustment has been proven to increase motion, increase circulation, reduce swelling and pain, and remove nervous irritation. Once this nervous irritation is removed, your body is able to do what it is designed to do – heal itself.

The word “subluxation” comes from the Latin words meaning “to dislocate” (luxare) and “somewhat or slightly” (sub). A subluxation means a slight dislocation or misalignment or biomechanical malfunctioning of the bones of the spine. These disturbances may irritate nerve roots and the blood vessels which branch off from the spinal cord between each of the vertebrae. This irritation may cause pain and dysfunction in muscle, lymphatic and organ tissue, as well as neurological imbalances in the normal body processes. A fall, injury, sudden jar, trauma, or sometimes an inherited spinal weakness can displace a vertebra. Other causes include improper sleeping conditions or habits, poor posture, occupational hazards, incorrect lifting practices, obesity, lack of rest and exercise, and stress.

Being an athlete, Dr. Trapp realized the importance of having his spine assessed for subluxations. However, he was putting his shoulders, arms, legs and feet under immense stress from sports and working out. This increased his awareness and passion to check those additional areas for subluxations, which lead Dr. Trapp to his next endeavor. After completing an additional 105 post-graduate hours of study, he earned his Certified Chiropractic Extremity Practitioner (CCEP) certification, which requires focusing on treatment of the whole body.

This type of treatment requires synchrony between the nervous system and the mechanical control system of the kinetic chain. Dr. Trapp believes subluxations of any joint have neurological, mechanical and nutritional components. For this reason, many patients suffer repetitive subluxations and nerve entrapments because the mechanical component is ignored, leaving root causes undiscovered and untreated. A CCEP Chiropractor easily diagnoses and treats these injuries, incorporating neurological, mechanical and nutritional treatments into your care.

Dr. Trapp utilizes several techniques to manipulate the muscles and other soft tissues of the body. This helps to relieve pain, help heal injuries, improve circulation, relieve stress, increase relaxation, and aid in the general wellness of his patients.

Dr. Trapp currently utilizes the following techniques to help his patients:

• Active Release Technique
• Graston
• Myofascial Release
• Pain Neutralization Technique
• Trigenics
• Deep Tissue
• Swedish
• Nimmo/Trigger Point Therapy

Q: What exactly does the high intensity deep tissue laser do?

Answer 1: Short explanation:

Deep tissue laser treatments = Increased healing and decreased pain in the area(s) being treated

Answer 2: Detailed explanation:

Deep tissue laser therapy helps to speed up the healing process and decrease the pain in the areas being treated.

The deep tissue laser has a mechanism of action which increases blood flow to the injured area(s). By increasing blood flow to these area(s), it will carry oxygen and nutrients to the cells and carbon dioxide and lactic acid away from the cells. In the capillaries, blood flow is regulated via pressure and thermal gradients which target water with radiation. This is one of the best ways to produce the temperature gradient that will increase localized blood flow. When blood reaches the cells the hemoglobin that carry the oxygen have to reduce or drop off their oxygen supply. The blood then carries the waste products away from the cells.

High intensity laser therapy can speed up this process because, when hemoglobin absorbs the laser light, this reduction process increases and the blood dumps more oxygen to the cell to be processed into cellular energy. Once out of the blood, oxygen passes through the cell membrane and into the mitochondria, where it’s processed by a chain of respiratory enzymes whose end product is ATP.

At this point in the mechanism, oxygen is processed by the last of the respiratory chain of enzymes called Cytochrome oxidase. Cytochrome oxidase is the transport enzyme between the end of the respiratory chain and ATP synthase, which is the enzyme that produces ATP. Every cycle produces a molecule of ATP and without the high intensity laser treatment this process happens at its normal pace. However, if this enzyme is reduced or oxidized, it will absorb laser light thus causing the cycle to rapidly speed up. By applying the high intensity laser to the injured area(s) this means more energy will be delivered to the cell(s) and the injury will heal faster than without applying the high intensity laser.

Functional testing consists of easy to perform tests that mimic your everyday movements or activities. This helps Dr. Trapp to screen for imbalances that may be impacting your ability to perform daily activities.

These activities are closely related to sitting, standing, squatting and/or carrying your own body weight or your own body weight with additional weight such as a bag, groceries or luggage. These activities are essential to support your everyday living in a physical, social and psychological way.

In conjunction with your care, Dr. Trapp may prescribe physical therapy or functional rehabilitation with your treatment plan. If there’s an area that needs strengthening, physical therapy will be prescribed. However, if functional testing reveals imbalances then functional rehabilitation is the course we will take. Dr. Trapp’s rehabilitation and physical therapy focus is neuromusculoskeletal in nature and uses up to date testing in order to locate neurological and joint weakness or muscular imbalances.

Generally, chronic soft tissue problems are due to scarring or degeneration. Soft tissues include muscles, tendons, ligaments and fascia. Scarring and degeneration are common and can result in pain and limitations in movement. The body’s soft tissues degenerate when inadequate healing occurs, and over time the tissues degrade.

Degenerated tissues are weak and prone to injury. Degeneration can be caused by many factors, including age, intense use, improper movement, weakened muscles putting extra stress on other tissues, disease, etc.

Most chronic tendinopathies are primarily degenerative in nature.

Kinesio-Taping causes physiological effects on several body systems. The systems affected by the body include the circulatory/lymphatic, neural, muscular, and fascial systems, as well as the joints. Kinesio-Taping is currently being used to change muscle tone, move lymphatic fluids, correct movement patterns, and improve posture.

Kinesio-Taping differs from athletic strapping tape and the traditional taping methods. Traditional taping methods are used mostly to limit ranges of motion and to constrict muscle movement. The effect of this method is to create a bridge over the areas that are injured so that athletes can perform sport movements and have either prophylactic support or support to an injured part of the body. Athletic tape is typically removed after the end of an athletic event. However, this is not the case with Kinesio-Taping. Kinesio-Tape is meant to aid ranges of motion and muscle movement. It can stay on for several days and worn while bathing.